


between the waves

by CapriciousCrab



Series: what lies beneath [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Dreams vs. Reality, M/M, Mild Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 03:50:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15477030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapriciousCrab/pseuds/CapriciousCrab
Summary: A choice must be made when a recurring dream leads to a perilous situation and a shocking reveal.





	between the waves

He dreamed, as he often did, of floating in a storm-swept sea. A frothing wave would lift him high, cradled in its curving crest, before tossing him to be caught by another. He drifted with the waves as they rose and fell and the tide pulled him out and away. He wasn't afraid of the drift for he knew if he should sink under, then _he_ would appear. The beautiful face of the one who would always come for him, with his golden-brown eyes and dark, wavy hair. He would swim up from the deep and smile before pressing his mouth to Phil's, sharing the gift of life as he shared the air from his lungs. He would pull Phil up to the surface and when their heads broke water he would take Phil into his arms and...

  
Phil always woke before discovering what the mysterious man would do. Filled with a frustrated grief and a growing sense of longing he spends his nights on the pier watching the sea, always searching for the curly head and strong shoulders of the man who filled his dreams.  
  
Rationally he knows there's no man in the water. The flash of pale skin is nothing more than the moonbeams gleaming on the waves and the sound of his voice whispered into the night just the wind sighing over the rocks and sand. But still, Phil waits for a storm for perhaps then he will come.  
  
**  
  
Midsummer brings the wild weather.

He slips from his house on a rain-drenched night and makes his way to the pier to watch the lightning dance between the waves. They crash high against the rocks and when he sits to dangle his feet in the water, they rush over his lap in a roiling surge. The wind is shrieking in his ears as it whips his hair around his face and he's tempted to head home when he feels something brush against his foot. He tries to pull his legs up and away from the water but he's too slow. A cold hand closes around his ankle and pulls, toppling him into the churning waves.  
  
He lets out an involuntary gasp and water surges up his nose and down his throat. He tries to coordinate the movement of his arms and legs, desperate to get to the surface, but he sinks deeper into the black water beneath his feet. He casts one last frightened glance toward the surface as he flails and suddenly _he_ is there.  
  
His face is still beautiful, but it's a predatory thing filled with a cunning cruelty. His eyes are flat and cold, holding none of the warmth of his dream. He smiles at Phil now as if amused by his struggling and his mouth is toothy and sharp as he swishes his tail before his face.  
  
He'd recoil if he could but fear holds him immobile as the man reaches out and snags a handful of his hair, tugging him to the surface. Phil sucks in a lungful of air and coughs out a mouthful of water, his throat and eyes burning from the salt. The creature keeps his hair in a tight grip and watches dispassionately as Phil struggles to keep afloat. They've drifted far from his pier, so far he can no longer see the shore, and he trembles from fear and the cold.  
  
“Hello, little fish. I've finally caught you.”  
  
His voice is rough and gravelly, scraping against Phil's ears like nails on a chalkboard. He shudders at the sound and closes his eyes, hoping that the creature will be benevolent.  
  
“W-who are you? And what do you mean you c-caught me?” Phil stammers out, shivering as the waves continue breaking over his head. He's growing tired, the thrashing of his legs slowing as he lets the creature keep him above water by the grip he has on Phil's hair.  
  
“You can call me Dan, little fish, and I've been calling to you in your dreams. I've been waiting for the storm to bring you to me and tonight it finally did.”  
  
Dan leaned closer and sniffed at Phil's neck before nodding his head, smiling that sharp-toothed grin.  
“Yes, you will be perfect. Are you ready, little fish? You must say yes if you wish to come down with me.”  
  
He doesn't know what he will be perfect for but by now he no longer cares, the cold and the fear and the near-drowning leaving him lethargic and compliant. He gazes at Dan with heavy-lidded eyes and gives a slow shake of his head.  
  
His voice is a whisper as he asks, “What if I say no?”  
  
Dan's face is still, then lights up in a macabre grin. “Then I'll let you sink. Or I might eat you.” He laughs, the sound like the shrieking wind, before sobering. “Choose wisely, little fish.”  
  
Death or Death...Phil nearly laughs himself.  
  
“Will you be kind, Dan? Can you promise me safety? Tell me yes, and I'll come with you” Phil said quietly. Dan may not be the man he'd once dreamed of but he still offers the promise of a life beyond the ordinary. And Phil would take life over death anytime.  
  
“Of course you'll be safe, little fish. After all, I treat all my pets kindly.”  
  
Dan came closer and placed his mouth to Phil's, his sharp teeth pressing against Phil's lips as he shared his breath between them. They began to sink and as the water closed over their heads the storm dissipated, the waves stilling as the waters grew calm once more, leaving nothing behind to mark their presence.  
  
Nothing but a tiny trail of bubbles.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> [come say hi on Tumblr](https://capriciouscrab.tumblr.com/)


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